At some point doesn’t every kid want to be an astronaut? But commercially available space suit costumes are, shall we say, rather low fidelity – and with good reason. A space suit incorporates a daunting amount of custom hardware and tailoring, and no suit is more complex, or iconic than the lunar EVA suits worn during the Apollo missions. How to make something good enough to be considered a child-sized scaled replica without a NASA sized budget? That was the challenge.

1. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume

2. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Objective
To create an authentic scaled representation of an Apollo
spacesuit as a Halloween costume.
Background
At some point doesn’t every kid want to be an astronaut? But
commercially available space suit costumes are, shall we say,
rather low fidelity – and with good reason. A space suit
incorporates a daunting amount of custom hardware and
tailoring, and no suit is more complex, or iconic than the lunar
EVA suits worn during the Apollo missions. How to make
something good enough to be considered a child-sized scaled
replica without a NASA sized budget? That was the challenge.
Design
When trying to reproduce a complex but highly
recognizable object like the space suit, key in on
the signature elements that define what people
remember. In this case it was the red helmet
ring, the red and blue hose fittings on the front
of the suit, and perhaps the grey gloves with
blue rubber tips. The second thing is to get the
important proportions correct. For the suit, that
meant scaling the Portable Life Support System
(the backpack) to the size of the intended wearer.
At first it may seem overly large but when in place,
with an appropriately bulky suit, the 80% backpack
contributes to the overall authenticity without people
even realizing why. Finally, add as many detailed
markings as possible. These graphics are often the
simplest elements to create but do the research and
take the time to make them as accurate as possible.
Examples on the suit include the instructions and the Velcro
tabs on the PLSS, the red stripes that identified the commander
on the later Apollo missions, and the patches and name tapes.
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Construction
The coveralls were a commercial astronaut costume selected
solely because they featured puffy stuffing to give the suit bulk.
Patches and name tapes were added, and red duct tape was
used to make the sleeve and leg striping. The helmet ring is a
painted embroidery hoop. It secures a piece of fabric which
covers the front and back of the coveralls like a vest. This
provides an easy-to-work-with surface for mounting the hose
connections and simplifies getting the suit on and off. The
geometry of the hose fittings is an important detail that
contributes to realism. Although now there are readily down-
loadable files that can be 3D printed, the connector hardware
seen here are aquarium tank fittings. The hoses are electronic
cable loom tubing sheathed in fabric, so they are very
lightweight. To make the PLSS, layers of pink house
foam board was glued and cut to shape and then
covered in fabric. The same technique was used to
fabricate the control box on the front of the suit. The
fingertips of blue latex gloves were cut off and then
stretched over a pair of grey winter gloves to replicate
this distinctive Apollo suit feature. Similarly, blue
rubber rainboots were allowed to peak out from
under fabric to give the appearance of the rubber
over-soles worn by the astronauts while on the
moon. Ink-jet printable fabric makes it possible
to replicate the various markings on the Portable
Life Support System (PLSS) and Oxygen Purge
System (OPS). The communications carrier or
“snoopy” cap was made by stitching together
two swim caps, one white and one black.

3. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Reference and Inspriation
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume

4. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Reference and Inspriation
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
PLSS Dimensions: Width 20.5"
(J-Series PLSS with Auxillary
Feedwater Reservoir)
Length 26.4" (top to bottom,
without OPS)

5. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Reference and Inspriation
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
PLSS Remote Control Unit (RCU) PLSS Connections
Gloves
and Boots

6. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
YOUR NAME
Print Graphic – OPS, Top

7. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Print Graphic – OPS, Back

8. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Print Graphic – PLSS, Back
YOUR NAME

9. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Print Graphic – PLSS, Back
YOUR NAME

10. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Apollo 11 EVA Suit
The finished costume

11. Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
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Apollo Spacesuit
Costume
Ready for Liftoff!